A system includes a drive gear and a sensor mounted in an image forming device and a replaceable unit removably installable in the image forming device. The replaceable unit includes a gear for receiving rotational force from the drive gear. The system includes an encoded member encoded with identifying information of the replaceable unit and operatively connected to the gear such that rotation of the gear causes movement of the encoded member for communicating the identifying information of the replaceable unit to the sensor. The encoded member is configured to move toward the sensor upon rotation of the gear of the replaceable unit in a first rotational direction for communicating the identifying information of the replaceable unit to the sensor. The encoded member is configured to move away from the sensor upon rotation of the gear of the replaceable unit in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction.

A replaceable unit includes a rotatable gear positioned on a housing of the replaceable unit and an encoded member encoded with identifying information of the replaceable unit. The encoded member is positioned on an axially outboard face of the gear such that the encoded member is rotatable with the gear for communicating the identifying information of the replaceable unit to a sensor of an image forming device when the replaceable unit is installed in the image forming device. The encoded member is configured to move axially outward relative to a rotational axis of the gear upon rotation of the gear in a first rotational direction for communicating the identifying information of the replaceable unit to the sensor. The encoded member is configured to move axially inward relative to the rotational axis of the gear upon rotation of the gear in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction.

A server apparatus including a first communication device and a first computing device. The first communication device communicates with an image forming apparatus via a network. The first computing device includes a processor, and acts as a data acquirer, a dimension reduction processor, and a residual service life calculator, when the processor executes a first control program. The data acquirer acquires observation data of a first number of dimensions from the image forming apparatus, via the first communication device. The dimension reduction processor converts the observation data of the first number of dimensions into characteristic data of a second number of dimensions fewer than the first number of dimensions. The residual service life calculator calculates a residual service life of a replaceable unit in the image forming apparatus, on a basis of the characteristic data.

An image forming apparatus has a main body housing, a network interface for connecting to a network, a cartridge mountable to the main body housing and having a material or a component to be used for image formation in the image forming apparatus and a memory that stores contract information for permitting use of the cartridge in the image forming apparatus set to a contract mode, a communication unit for performing communication with using a mobile network different from the network, and a controller. The controller acquires the contract information from the memory, in a state where the cartridge is mounted to the main body housing, permits printing in the image forming apparatus using the cartridge based on the contract information, and transmits information about the image forming apparatus or the cartridge regarding the contract mode to a communication apparatus via the communication unit.

An image forming apparatus includes a motor, a container detection sensor, and a controller. When a toner container is attached, the motor generates a driving force for rotating a toner conveying member in the toner container. The container detection sensor is arranged at a position where the container detection sensor comes into contact with an outer periphery of a cam connected to the toner conveying member when the toner container is attached. The controller distinguishes between at least three attachment states of the toner container based on a sensor signal of the container detection sensor.

The present disclosure provides a consumable chip, a consumable, an image-forming apparatus, a communication method, and a detection method. The consumable chip includes the first connection terminal, configured to be connected to the first connection pin when the consumable is installed on the image-forming apparatus; the second connection terminal, configured to be connected to the second connection pin when the consumable is installed on the image-forming apparatus; the power supply circuit, configured to convert the first input signal and the second input signal received through the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal into a DC voltage to supply power to the microcontroller; the demodulation circuit, configured to demodulate the first input signal and the second input signal to obtain demodulated signals; and the modulation circuit, configured to send modulation signals to the image-forming control unit through the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal.

A cartridge includes: a housing; a storage medium; and a holder. The storage medium has an electrical contact surface. The holder is movable relative to the housing. The holder includes: a first holder member; and a second holder member. The first holder member has a pawl portion and is configured to hold the electrical contact surface. The second holder member includes a corner portion. The pawl portion is engageable with the corner portion. The second holder member has a through-hole. An engagement part of the pawl portion engaging with the corner portion is accessible from outside the second holder member through the through-hole in a state where the pawl portion engages with the corner portion.

An image forming apparatus includes a cartridge provided with a memory. The apparatus main body includes a frame, a movable electric contact unit including an electric contact portion contacting with the memory, and a holding member holding the electric contact portion and including an urging member urging the electric contact unit toward the memory in a mounted state of the cartridge, and a positioning portion positioning the electric contact unit in an unmounted state of the cartridge.

An image forming apparatus includes image forming units having unit identification data, unit attachment portions having attachment portion identification data, an acquisition unit, a calculator, a storage unit, a controller, and a notification unit. The acquisition unit acquires data set of the two types of data. The calculator calculates data that are correction data for correcting image forming conditions or data on corrected image forming conditions. The storage unit stores the data set and the calculation data corresponding to the data set. The controller executes a data reuse control of controlling the image forming units using the calculation data that are stored in the storage unit and correspond to the data set after the data set is changed. The notification unit notifies execution-related information on execution of the data reuse control before the data reuse control.

Disclosed herein is a developing cartridge. The developing cartridge has a housing, a developing roller rotatably supported by the housing, the developing roller being rotatable about an axis extending in a first direction, and the developing roller having a developing roller shaft, a supply roller rotatably supported by the housing and configured to convey developer to the developing roller, the supply roller having a supply roller shaft, and a driving gear disposed on a driving side of the housing in the first direction. The developing cartridge also has electrical connection components on the housing. In the first direction, the ends of the supply roller shaft are in contact respectively with the electrical connection components.